Nov 30, 2017

This is it, the week of Thanksgiving and a 20 miler too. Add in a family wedding to make it all more complicated.

Monday, November 20th - Piyo Sweat
Got in about 20 minutes of this, then had to deal with some stuff at home. But hey, it was something

Tuesday, November 21st - REST

Wednesday, November 22nd - Orangetheory class: Power
Got up early and went to class. I hadn't been in a week, and I was so happy to lift weights again.

Thursday, November 23rd - Turkey Trot 10k
Turkey Trot this year was a HOT one. It was kinda miserable. The water stops also weren't ready as people walked by them. I did have a group of friends that went with me this year, but I was the only one doing the 10k. I was slower than I wanted, but I did it. And today was the start of the Fellow Flowers holiday challenge. 30 minutes of movement every day from Thanksgiving to New Year's.

Saturday, November 25th - Piyo Upper
Almost didn't get anything in, but it was only Day 3 of the #moveyourass Fellow Flowers holiday challenge, so I had to get something in.

Sunday, November 26th - 20 miles
And here it was. The run I had been dreading since I signed up for the full. The 20 miler. Now to make things all the more complicated, this was on Thanksgiving weekend, and I had a family wedding to attend.

Since I had the wedding brunch at 9am, I did some very bad math, and figured I needed to start my run by 3am. Which meant I attempted to get into bed early on Saturday night. I did the best I could, and fell asleep about 10-10:30. The 2:30 alarm woke me up, but I went back to sleep. When the 3am alarm went off, I really didn't want to, but got up, got dressed, grabbed water and fuel and headed out.

I wore all my brights, and got out there to pound the pavement. It was a little chillier than usual, so I wore my arm sleeves, but they only lasted about a mile before they were too much. I carried electolytes again, but the bottle was leaking, so I turned back and left it at home. I had my handheld bottle with water in it, and since it was a little bigger, it worked for the whole run.

I did my first 5 miles and contemplated calling it quits at 10 miles. I was just tired and really didn't want to be out there. By the time I got to 10 miles, I felt pretty good. But I didn't want to admit that I was still doing ok. I didn't want to jinx myself.

I started the second half of my run still feeling pretty good. I got to the half marathon point, and was happy to still be keeping up with my run/walk intervals. I was heading back towards my house in my last turn around. But at about mile 16.5, my left IT band started hurting. I usually only tape my right, but looks like I'll be taping both now. It slowed me down a bit, and I mostly walked. I was able to still get in some run intervals, which I was happy about. Mostly because I wanted it all to be done already.

I had to do a few extra loops around my house to get in the final 2 miles, but I did it. I got in 20 miles. My IT bands hurt and so did my feet. I got into an ice bath when I got back inside. It sucks, but I'm convinced in its powers of recovery. And after the ice bath and shower, we rushed off to another wedding party. I also got a celebratory burger later that night too. Cause damn, I deserved it.

My phone also survived the 20 miler. I had about 75% left when I was done running. I didn't take any pics, cause I wanted to save my battery. Looks like I can take a few.

There is one more long run left in a few weeks before the race. Then this is done. I'll be sticking to halfs, cause this training is just a bit much.

Nov 15, 2017

Running alone is not scary or crazy to do. As long as you keep a few things in mind, you can totally get out there and run solo.

I've been training alone for years. Thankfully, I've only had a couple of issues, and none of them severe. But here are a few tips to stay safe while getting in your run. Cause, it shouldn't scare you to get out there.

1. Run in a familiar area.

It's best to know where you are and all the little quirks of the area. I feel more confident knowing where I'm going and not having to wonder where the next turn will be. This doesn't mean you can't mix it up a bit, but I prefer to get out there knowing beforehand where I am and will be. Running in a completely new area is best saved for when you have a buddy with you.

2. Tell your person where you will be.

I'm not saying post it on FB, but I always let mom know where I'll be running, especially on super long runs. She's been able to bring me water when needed, and if I need help, she'll be able to come get me. So tell your parents, your spouse, your bestie that lives down the block. Let someone know where you'll be. And approximately when to expect you back.

3. Be aware of your surroundings.

Don't just be in la la land while you're out there. Notice what is going on. The cars around you, the other pedestrians, bicyclists, even debris on the road. This will keep you safe, and also keep you from tripping on something and messing up your knee.

4. Bring your phone.

I won't ever leave home without it. Plus it's my GPS, interval timer, and music. And if you run into any issues, you can call someone or even 911 if needed. Just make sure you have a full charge when you get out there for your run.

5. Wear all the brights.

I always say I look like I'm crazy on my runs. I wear all of the brights, sequins and reflectors. Anything that makes me visible. Remember, make yourself easy to see, cause cars aren't usually looking for people on their feet out there. I leave my black shirts at home on my runs. Those are only for the gym, OTF, or a race.

6. Ignore the honks/comments/leering looks.

You may want to go over and tell the creepy old guy looking you up and down that he is nasty and you could be his granddaughter (which I have done), but it's usually not worth it. Catcallers, creepers, and people honking at you won't care, and are looking for you to get pissed and get a response. Just ignore it, or my preferred action give the finger as you keep running by.

Nov 13, 2017

Another week of kinda meh workouts. I was still on vacation at the start of the week, but I need to get back at it.

Monday, November 6th - Disney day (19,615 steps)
First it was a quick stop at Hollywood Studios for some Tower of Terror. Then off to Epcot the whole day to wait for the Boys II Men concert. Tons of walking!

Tuesday, November 7th - Disney day

Wednesday, November 8th - Rest

Thursday, November 9th - 30 minute run
A treadmill run after work. Not my favorite, but I got on and knocked out that 30 minutes, and I was a little faster than usual on the tread.

Friday, November 10th - Rest

Saturday, November 11th - Orangetheory class: Endurance
Of course, I've been out of Orangetheory for a while and it's endurance day. OMG, it was a killer class, but I'm back at it.

Nov 6, 2017

The finish of Hell Week and a racecation thrown in for good measure. The end of the week was lots of walking around, but I had so many steps!!

Monday, October 30th - Orangetheory class: Hell Week "The Inclines of Death"
Of course, I get another incline workout. It's like they wanted to give me all the hill training I don't get on the streets.

Tuesday, October 31st - Orangetheory class: Hell Week "Helloween"
Halloween is always one of my fave classes at OTF. I didn't get the trick on the tread (a 1.5 mile run). But on my second card for the rowers I got the 3000m row. Got about 1250m in before time was called. Then on the floor, of course, I got the 31 burpees. But it was my day 5 and I got my shirt!

Wednesday, November 1st - Rest day

Thursday, November 2nd - 30 minute run
Needed to get on the street and shake out my legs before my trip to Orlando. I got in an early 30 minute run. It was perfect.

Friday, November 3rd - Rest/expo day
Still managed over 10,000 steps even with a 4 hour car ride.

Saturday, November 4th - Rock N' Roll Savannah Half Marathon

Good race, but a few more hills and inclines than I would have liked. Full recap coming soon!

Sunday, November 5th - Exploring Savannah (19,469 steps)
Kris and I got up early and explored the city. Covered tons of ground before leaving.

This week was another one that was off from the travel. But I needed the trip. Can't wait to share all of the fun.

Got into the gym at lunchtime to knock this one out with one of the girls from work. The connection cut out though, so we winged the last half, but still got in a great workout.

Thursday, October 19th - Fellow Flowers Joy Virtual Run 5k

It was time to get in my virtual run. Jenn and I had signed up for this as soon as it came out. I really connect with the Fellow Flowers girls. So I threw on my yellow flower, the bracelet Jenn gave me and ran with joy, because I get to. It was an easy run. The best I've felt out there in a while. I laughed along with my podcast, and enjoyed just being out there with nothing in the world to bother me. Totally found that joy.

Friday, October 20th - REST

Thinking about getting in a run on Saturday, so instead of hitting up OTF, I decided to call a rest day.

Saturday, October 21st - 17 mile run

Here we go again... the farthest I've ever run in my life. I looked at the weather, and it was gonna be slightly cooler on Saturday, and really I just wanted to get the run over with.

I got up at 5am, got on all of my stuff, got water and electrolytes and headed out. It was dark, but I was gonna do the better lit part of my run first, to take advantage of the street lights. I remembered to take it easy and slow.

I was doing ok, except for the fact that the water bottle I was wearing at my waist with the electrolytes was leaking. I figured maybe I filled it too much, so I drank some to empty out the bottle. Drank some more and I thought it was at a good level, so I put it back in my belt. Well, every time I ran, that bottle squirted out nuun all over the place. This was not working for me at all. So I left the bottle on a wall at about mile 1.5 and picked it up on my way back and dropped it off in my mailbox.

The rest of the first part of the run was good. I tried to keep an even pace, and I had fuel ever 2 miles, which really seemed to work. I've been using skratch labs raspberry chews. They're not overly sweet , and I think the outside has a little salt, which helps. I dropped off my water bottle at home and continued with my run, which was about half over.

I stopped by 7-11 and got water and took a pit stop. This little stop helped and I was ready to start tackling the second half of my run. By now, it was a little sunnier, but it was still pretty overcast til about mile 11. Now, bad planning on my part, but flipping this course meant there was no place to get water during the second half. So, I called my backup, Mom, to bring me some ice water. She met me at about mile 12, and filled me up. This was great, cause I was getting a little tired before my turn around here. I did finally make the turn around, and hit mile 13.

My legs were getting tired, but I had tried to keep up the run intervals as much as I could. I know I can do intervals til 13, so I tried my best to keep at it. Once I hit mile 14, there was a lot of walking. I still tried to do some run intervals, which did feel great. I think it was more mental than anything.

A little after mile 15, I was trying to at least run during my "slow" :30 intervals. This is when I started to feel my IT band. It was only hurting a little and only while I ran, so I only did a few run intervals, mostly to get finished faster.

Finally, I was running (walking) up my street and saw the finish up ahead, and my phone died. About .1 miles before my finish. Note to self. No more IG stories while I run. I need my Runkeeper to be able to keep up.

I got inside, and drank water and got in an ice bath. I think I'm sold on the ice baths. My legs feel good. My feet hurt from being on them for 4 hours, but a pedi later and a little massage helped that too.

Sunday, October 22nd - Yoga class

Since I did my long run on Saturday, I got to sleep in on a Sunday, at least til 7, which is late for me. I went and took a yoga class to get me all stretched out. I was still feeling good after the run, and I wanted to keep that going.

The 17 miler is done! And I feel pretty ok after (kinda shocked about that). Coming up is an easy 6 miler next week, which will be a great rest. Who would have thought 6 miles would be an easy week?!